RESPIRATORY
PROTECTION IN GENERAL INDUSTRY:
AN OVERVIEW OF HAZARDS & OSHA'S PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

This video provides a brief overview and general information
on respiratory hazards in general industry and respiratory protection
program requirements. OSHA uses the term "general industry" to refer to
all industries not included in agriculture, construction, or maritime.
The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration - also called
"OSHA" - and State OSHA agencies require employers to have respiratory
protection programs if their workers are required to wear respirators
on the job.

This video does not cover all of the things that your
employer must do under Federal OSHA or State OSHA respiratory protection
standards. This video can be part of the OSHA-required respiratory protection
training, which includes many topics, like how to put on and take off
a respirator and how to use, clean, and maintain your respirator. Your
employer must also provide you with worksite-specific training.

While this video discusses some of your employer's responsibilities
under OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard, it is important to remember
that the purpose of a respirator is to protect your health and safety.

Respiratory hazards can exist in various forms at general
industry worksites. They may be gases, vapors, dusts, mists, fumes, smoke,
sprays, and fog. Some of these substances can make you sick or kill you
if you breathe them in. Certain respiratory hazards act quickly, like
carbon monoxide - an invisible, odorless gas - which can make you unconscious
or kill you in minutes. Other respiratory hazards can take years to make
you sick, like asbestos which can cause lung cancer years or even decades
after you breathe it in. More examples of respiratory hazards in general
industry include, but are not limited to:

infectious agents, such as tuberculosis bacteria in healthcare settings;

chemical hazards, such as chlorine gas and anhydrous ammonia in chemical
processing and use operations;

sensitizing vapors or dusts, such as isocyanates, certain epoxies,
and beryllium;

oxygen deficiency, which might be found in confined spaces; and

pharmaceuticals during the production of prescription drugs.

When there are respiratory hazards in your workplace,
your employer must use several methods to reduce your exposure to them,
including:

engineering controls (such as local exhaust ventilation);

work practice controls (such as applying coatings using a brush rather
than a spray); and

administrative controls (such as minimizing the exposure time or
the number of workers exposed to the hazard).

When you and your co-workers cannot be adequately protected
from respiratory hazards through use of these methods, then your employer
must provide you with an appropriate respirator to protect your health.

Respiratory protection must be selected based on the
hazard you will be exposed to on the job. Not every respirator will protect
you against every hazard, so it's important for your employer to select
the right one.

For example, filtering facepiece respirators may protect
you against particulate hazards, such as dusts. However, a filtering facepiece
respirator will not protect you against gas and vapor hazards, such as
solvent vapors. If you are exposed to airborne hazards that are not particulates,
you will need a different type of respirator. For example, you could use
an air-purifying respirator with chemical cartridges or an atmosphere-supplying
respirator, such as an airline respirator or a self-contained breathing
apparatus - also known as an SCBA.

In addition, atmosphere-supplying respirators are the
only respirators that will protect you against hazardous atmospheres,
like carbon monoxide and lack of oxygen.

When respirators must be used in your workplace, your
employer must have a respiratory protection program. This program must
meet the requirements of either the Federal OSHA or your State OSHA respiratory
protection standard.

provide you with access to specific records and documents, such as
a written copy of your employer's respiratory protection program; and

conduct a periodic program review.

Because each workplace is different, it is very important
that your employer's respiratory protection program address your specific
workplace. For example, workplaces may differ in the following ways:

the types and amount of respiratory hazards present;

the people who manage the program;

the policies and procedures for tasks, such as respirator selection,
maintenance, and use; and

other exposure control methods, such as using local exhaust ventilation.

Workplace conditions that affect respiratory hazards
and respirator use may change over time. Therefore, the written program
must be updated as necessary to account for those changes in workplace
conditions that affect respiratory hazards and respirator use. For example,
changes in workplace conditions related to respiratory hazards could include:

new work processes or techniques, such as installing a new electroplating
line;

the use of new or different materials or chemicals;

changes in the amount of a respiratory hazard in the workplace; or

changes in the types of respirators being used.

Notify your supervisor if something changes in your
workplace that conflicts with, or may not be covered by, your respirator
training or established workplace policies or procedures.

Your employer's respiratory protection program must
be managed by a qualified, trained program administrator. This person
must monitor the program and make sure that you and your co-workers are
adequately protected. The program administrator will know a lot about
your workplace respiratory protection program and should be able to answer
any questions you may have about respirator use. The program administrator
must know about the requirements of the federal OSHA or State OSHA Respiratory
Protection Standard and evaluate the program periodically and make any
necessary changes.

This video has provided you with a brief overview of
respiratory hazards in general industry and respiratory protection program
requirements. There are many other things that you must know and do before
you can safely use a respirator in a hazardous work environment. While
this video may be part of your respiratory protection training, your employer
must also provide you with additional training on respirators, including
worksite-specific training. Remember, if you don't know if a respirator
is needed for the task you will be doing, or if you are unsure about how
to properly use a respirator or which filter or cartridge to use, talk
to your supervisor before entering the hazardous area.

For more information about respirator use in your workplace,
refer to these OSHA and NIOSH websites. You will find OSHA's respiratory
protection standard, additional respirator training videos, and other
guidance material to help you work safely.